


Apart

by PaintedBlue



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Keith (Voltron), Flashbacks, Implied Relationships, Imprisonment, M/M, Mind Control, Not Beta Read, Open to Interpretation, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-06 15:24:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8758369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaintedBlue/pseuds/PaintedBlue
Summary: Set after episode 11....He was going to die, oh god, he was going to die. The talons were hooking in, soon they would slash, and the vent of his neck would gape,  with blood gushing as he choked. The monster would stare, hooking him in as much the sharp fingers on his throat, so he could not be elsewhere, thinking of someone-Shiro- as a black vortex consumed his soul...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [everyone in voltron hell](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=everyone+in+voltron+hell).



> Woah, first time writing a Voltron fic! I thought I had escaped the temptation of writing bad fanfics, yet here I go again, three years later. Hopefully the quality of my writing has improved since then.

_Apart:_

_separated by a specified distance in time or space_

 

 

 

"Shiro. Shiro? Shiro!"

Jolting awake, Shiro gasped, choking as smoke invaded his airways. Jumping up from the controls, he lunged forward, pressing a hand to a button. Through the dark veil, day peeked through the opening door, and Shiro rushed forward, inhaling the fresh air as it soothed his lungs and hot body. In front of him lay an entire forest, its edging trees singed by the crash site of his lion. Shiro frowned up at his lion who loomed over him, silent. He ran his hand down his face, momentarily overwhelmed, as the battle that had occurred moments ago crept up on him, remaining by the adrenaline that still coursed through his veins. 

"Shiro!" A voice cracked over the communicator.

"Keith?"

"Oh thank- why weren't you answering me?"

"I blacked out, my Lion's full of smoke. Where are you buddy?" His eyes scanned the skies and the land, looking for a trail, a burst in the clouds, to see where the Red Lion had gone.

"I'm in my Lion, there's smoke everywhere. But she's not responding, the hatch won't open." Keith coughed over the line, and Shiro tensed as he demanded,

"Are you injured?"

Caught, the teenager admitted miserably, "I was out of my seat when the wormhole destabilized. I rammed into the controls pretty hard… my chest hurts."

"Stop talking then, focus on breathing. I'm tracking you right now." instructed Shiro.

"Shiro."

"Don't talk."

He heard a sigh over the line, "I know, just, be careful."

Although Keith could not see him, Shiro smiled reassuringly, "I will buddy." Activating the GPS on his helmet-Shiro mentally blessed Pidge as his favourite, most rational pilot, he entered the dark forest, leaving behind Black, who his eyes remained dispassionate as her paladin ventured into the unknown.

 

The trek through the forest was tedious. The crashing of two sentient beings had uprooted many of the trees, and unsettled unfavorable creatures. Shiro had to be vigilant as he stepped over roots and logs, as some spider-like beings bared their fangs at him. He'd braced his hand before on one of the trees, he'd noticed a small spider skittering along, and thought there would be no danger. But as soon as his hand had made contact, the spider had swelled to the size of his hand, its fuzzy, green legs pulsed with light, and Shiro had quickly backed off. He held onto his side, the glow of magic still evident in his skin, every step irritated it more. His muscles were growing heavy with lethargy, but Keith needed him. So he kept walking. Despite the persistent nerves in his brain, reminding him of how pained he was, he focused on his surroundings. He did not want to upset  the land.

Unfortunately for Shiro, his patience and caution were rendered useless, as a growl rumbled through the trees. Cursing, Shiro spun around, trying to find the source. Wrong move. His movement provoked the creature, and it came down on him, from the branches. Yelping at the weight on his back, and the sound of something scratching on his armour, Shiro bashed his back into a tree. His hand swirling with energy, he posed it forward, ready to stab the creature if it lunged. Its  limbs grasped onto the bark, as its feline head scowled at Shiro, the creature was almost a mutation of a housecat and a monkey. But then scarlet saliva dripped from its canines, and the flowers it dropped on to instantly became infested with slimy bumps, with vines that extended, binding around other plants, that almost seemed to shrink in terror. Definitely not just a monkcat, thought Shiro.

Deciding that slashing his robotic arm at it would put him scarily close to the animal, Shiro hauled a small log-and a spider that clung to it swelled,  raising its shimmering, toxic legs and fangs- and threw it towards the creature. Abandoning caution, Shiro raced through the trees, the screeches and the sound of bursting flesh springing behind him. The branches whipped, one tearing at his wound, Shiro yelped as he tripped over a root, rolling on to rocky surfaces. Groaning, he pushed himself up, and looked at what lay before him. He'd never seen any of the lions so broken before, damaged yes, maybe with little dents and scrapes, but Red's torso and legs were twisted out of alignment, and her side was punctured. The glorious animal was thrown over the terrain, broken. Smoke wisped through the little cracks, pulling with it a hacking sound. _Keith_.

"Red, please, I need you to wake up." Shiro smoothed his human hand over the lion, petting her as he continued, urgent, "Keith's hurt. Your paladin's hurt! Please let me in!" There was no shudder of movement. Increasingly anxious, Shiro activated his arm, it thrummed with energy as he hesitantly drew it back to punch.

With the last spark of energy that literally exploded from her eyes, Red opened her mouth, a growl reverberating from inside of her. Crawling through the gap, Shiro's eyes focused on the form that laid curled on the floor. Bounding forth, he gathered the body into his arms, coughing on the smoke that entered his mouth as he left the cockpit.

Wrenching the helmet off, Shiro traced his hand on a pale cheek, holding his breath, stopping the rhythm of his own heart as he pleaded,

 "Keith?"

Through chapped lips, Keith whispered "Shiro."

Exhaling, Shiro rested his forehead on the teenager, enjoying the relief that coursed through his body. Allowing there to be a friendly distance between them again, Shiro was kneeling on the ground, his weight on his toes as he surveyed Keith's injuries. He checked to see if there was tightness in his friend's throat, bent forward again to listen to the sound of Keith's breathing, then moved to gingerly check his chest. Removing the plates of armour, Shiro pulled up the black shirt, his hands skimming over the bruises, looking for something in particular, _under_ the skin. Keith whimpered at the cool touch, biting his lip as his body ached.

Finishing his assessment, Shiro detached a water flask from his waist, supporting Keith's upper body as he tipped some of the precious fluid into the dry mouth.

"I think you've broken some ribs."

"I think so too." groaned Keith, as he leaned back into Shiro, burrowing himself on the man's chest.  Shiro's chin poked on top of his head, and Keith moved his arms, and accidentally elbowed the older man's side. At the sharp hiss, Keith turned around, wincing as he did, and finally he noticed Shiro's predicament.

"Shiro, what is that?"

Shiro shook his head, stood up-cradling his side,and walked on to the ship. As Keith moved to get up, Shiro's voice echoed from the cockpit to stay. Growling, Keith dropped his head back on the ground, his spite rewarding him with another bruise, this one to his cranium. Keith seethed between his teeth, and yelped at the twinge he felt in his chest as he did. Shiro came running out of the lion, his arms full of blankets and other equipment, which he released carelessly to kneel beside his friend.

"What's wrong?"

Blushing, Keith mumbled an excuse, before his eyes locked onto Shiro's wound. Noticing his gaze, Shiro covered the wound with his hand, almost ashamed as he set up camp.

"Wouldn't it be better to go back to your lion?"

Setting up the tent, Shiro spared him a glance as he replied, "It's getting dark, and the forest is dangerous enough during day. Anyway, your too injured to be moving that much." His eyes looked pointedly at Keith's foot, then accusingly at his friend's face. "Why didn't you tell me you hurt your ankle?"  Keith gaped at him, before concealing his injured limb with his hand as he retorted,

"Why didn't _you_ tell me you were hurt?"

Shiro's eyebrow ticked, and he sighed as he walked back to Keith, gesturing towards the tent. Slowly standing up, Keith batted away Shiro's hand, muttering that he could manage a few steps. As he went to lie down, Shiro stood behind him, with his arms under Keith's, to avoid upsetting his ribs anymore. Matching the glare Keith's purple orbs delivered, Shiro stated, "You need to rest."

"But your h-"

"I'll bandage it, _once_ you go to sleep."

Keith frowned worriedly, but dutifully closed his eyes. Sleep took him in a matter of seconds.

Once confident that he would not wake, Shiro finally let out a pained gasp, his shoulders sagging around him. Wiping the trickle of sweat on his forehead, Shiro grabbed the med kit and bandaged his wound, as he said he would. It was to comfort Keith though, because the wound was not bleeding as any normal wound should. He dreaded that the magic was doing something far more sinister. Indeed it stung his flesh, but Shiro could feel the prickles at his mind and as he laid down next to Keith, Shiro could only hope that his friend would get through all of _this_. Because Shiro wasn't going to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was sulking about how none of the stories I follow have been updating, and sulked further when I remembered the lack of progress I was making with my own. In my defense, I've been doing lots of holiday homework, and I've been writing on my own novel.  
> Thanks for all the follows, kudos and bookmarks! I'd like to thank Layra and Zigsnozags for their comments on the last chapter, you truly brought a smile to my face and I apologise for the late update, I feel rather guilty.

_Apart:_

_separated by a specified distance in time or space_

 

 

 

 

The ground quaked, and the forest became a wave of green as the wind exerted its force upon them. Bursting from layers of blankets, Keith stumbled out from under the tent, cradling his ribs as he looked up. The black lion hovered above, steady as its thrusters disturbed the earth. Keith recalled the time where he and the other paladins met the Blue Lion, Lance had been particularly verbal in his paranoia that Blue had been staring at him. Keith thought it was a stupid statement, the lions had no pupils, they couldn't blink or frown at the humans underneath him. Yet Keith felt he was being judged as he stared into the yellow eyes.

Landing beside Red, Black's mouth parted to reveal its paladin. Walking down the rail, Shiro seized when he realised Keith was awake and standing.

"How are you feeling?" Shiro asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Better-" Keith broke off, a deep cough wracking through his body, and his ribs seemed to shake from the force.

Sighing, Shiro grabbed Keith by the shoulder, and forced him to sit down."You're going to need to rest a few more days, then your ribs should be fine."

"What about you?"

Shiro frowned before he curtly answered, "I'll be fine too."

"Your side is glowing Shiro. What happened?" Keith motioned to get up, but Shiro kept him down with his robotic arm. The man looked at the intricacies of the metal, the mechanical sounds that twanged as he clenched his hand around Keith's shoulder.  He remembered his arm-his real arm, remembered the blood as it was severed from his body, thinking that it was finally the end before everything began to burn. And when he awoke, this thing was attached to him, soldered into his skin and veins, a weapon that was more than just hard steel, but something alive, and his arm pulsed with life that did not come from his own heart. It was a parasite, an invasion of his body and mind, brought upon by the smirking heathen, whose eyes glowed like any filthy Galra.

"Shiro!" Snapping to attention, Shiro faced Keith, who appeared concerned as he finally broke the trance.

"Haggar." Shiro spat. Yellow eyes flashed in his vision.

"The witch?"

"Yeah."

Keith trembled as he looked at the wound, whispering, "What can we do?"

"Nothing," at Keith's determined expression, Shiro revised, " _You're_ going to do nothing."

Fuming, Keith pulled out of Shiro's hold, almost destabilizing the other's balance as he got up. Though his ribs ached, and his ankle twinged, threatening to break under weight, Keith stood imposingly before Shiro.

"You asshole!" yelled Keith.

Blinking stupidly, Shiro backed away as Keith prowled forward.

"You were dead Shiro! You weren't even captured-alive- on some alien ship, you were just dead!" spat Keith. When he took another step towards Shiro, his legs finally wobbled, and a sudden weakness came over him. Already reacting, Shiro moved to support his weight, but Keith pushed his arms out, bracing against Shiro. They were at a standstill and Keith looked down to the ground, his hair obscuring his face as he trembled. Shiro stared, his hands gently grabbing Keith's as he moved in closer. Breathing out, he nudged his forehead against the other boy's, resting there as he waited. His fingers began to draw circles on the pale skin, soothing as sobs began to wrack Keith's body.

"I couldn't do anything because you were dead. You can't-" Keith pulled away as he whispered, "you can't tell me to do nothing  Shiro. You _can't._ "

A rumble broke them apart, and they gasped at what was occurring before them. The Black Lion was acting on its own, its head bowed as it inquisitively poked Red.

"What is he doing?" asked Keith.

Concern sparked inside of Shiro, but it settled strangely in his body,  as if the emotion didn't quite know where to place itself. His bond with his lion, something that was beyond science and magic, was bleeding the emotions of his lion into him, but it felt strange, different from the connection with his fellow paladins. It was like his body, his soul-or something, had altered the lion's feelings into something the human brain could comprehend.

"He's worried." explained Shiro, recognizing the tight curling in his stomach.

"I knew they were sentient, Red talks-" Keith cut off as he looked directly at his lion. Her broken form scattered onto the ground, unresponsive to her brother's efforts.

"Brother?" echoed Keith, confused by his own thoughts. At Shiro's gaze, he elaborated, "I was just thinking about Red, and for some reason, I thought Black was her brother."

Nodding, Shiro said, " It makes sense. It can't just be our bond as paladins that creates Voltron-"  He needed not explain any further, as a whine emitted from the mechanical beast. Black laid down beside Red, his body encompassed hers-protective, like an older brother.  Then the ground and air began to vibrate around them.

 Keith collapsed. Yelling, Shiro gathered the boy in his arms, checking his pulse, his breathing. They were all fine, but Keith's half-lidded eyes stared blankly into his. Shiro jolted, as thoughts filled his head. It was jumbled, but one word was repeated. Safe.

Looking back to the two lions, Shiro gasped in surprise. The purple field of energy that emanated from his lion, now passed through the smaller, more agile lion, and gradually the cracks and the wear were mending under the light.  His lion was healing Red by purring! Shiro recalled there being suspicions back home, of the domesticated cat's ability to heal itself and others through purring. Whether that was true or not for the felines on earth, it was the case for these mystical lions. And Keith's sudden daze must've been because of his bond with Red.  Shiro had never felt so close to his lion as he did now, as they paralleled one other, Black hovering over Red as Shiro held Keith in his arms.

"Thank you."

 

*

 

When Keith regained consciousness, he freaked when he realised, as he emerged from his dark daze, that his eyes had already been open. As the world had come back into his vision,  his eyes widened further, at the unusual sensation of waking without opening his lids. He promptly blinked, staring at the sky as the fluffy forms of the clouds regained their shape with focus. Unsettled by such a minor detail, Keith sat up, taking in his environment with

"You alright there?" A voice chuckled from his right as it continued, "Don't worry, you just fell into some daze after Black started purring."

Keith flicked his head and met Shiro's kind eyes, before his gaze trailed down to the festering wound. The light laugh faded, as Keith frowned and quickly looked away from the man. Keith didn't need-nor want, to use his fists or his words to convey what he was thinking, he simply remained silent. The lions may have interrupted their fight, but they certainly hadn't stopped it altogether, as Keith's expression simmered. Shiro sidled towards Keith, his head down in shame as he carefully touched his shoulder with Keith's. He maintained that minor contact for a long time, not daring to place a hand, not even turn his head and look. Too much contact when Keith was distressed would cause a real fight, because if someone thought they could be so intimate as to comfort Keith by hugging him straight up, they would be met with Keith's fist. Shiro remembered this from the first time he thought he could comfort a crying eight-year-old by stroking his mullet.  With all the struggles to find and keep hold of memories in a shattered mind, at least Shiro's nose never forgets.

Eventually, the two boys' backs slouched, not in laziness, but rather out of a new found comfort, as the silence became companionable, rather than a barrier. It was Keith who finally moved, the twist of his upper body making him face Shiro, who naturally reciprocated the attention.

"You're going to let me help you." stated Keith, his eyes not wavering from his friend. Shiro nodded before Keith added, "And not just with this wound, not just right now on this planet. When we finally get out of here, I'm still going to help you. I'm not going to let you walk around the castle all night because you can't sleep, not anymore. You have to talk to me today, tomorrow- or the very next tick.   Promise me you'll talk to me," he grabbed Shiro's hand, at when Shiro hesitated, he squeezed as he whispered, "Promise."

Shrio huffed as he closed his eyes, a trembling smile trying to lift his face as he held onto Keith's hand with his own flesh one. He made the promise, and in the next second, Keith surprised Shiro when he dropped his hand, only to wrap his arms around Shiro's shoulders. His own, including the metal one, embraced Keith in return.

"If this is what a purr gets out of you, maybe we should adopt some cats when we go home." Shiro grimaced at his own cheery words, as his wound throbbed to belay such a thought.

"I wouldn't be against it." mumbled Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season 2 is going to burn our hearts when it arrives. I was also going to say it will enslave our minds, but seeing as I've been checking the internet for new content/trailers everyday, as I read Voltron fics and swipe down the Keith tag in tumblr, I'm already chained to the new season.
> 
> Okay, so in my last bottom notes, I mentioned I had started watching YoI (finished now), but now I have my latest obsession. Killing Stalking. Warning though, in case the title wasn't suggestion enough, it is not romantic or cute in the slightest.It's a psychological horror with triggering content. If you enjoy films like American Psycho (the irony of Christian Bale playing a character whose last name is Bateman) or Silence of the Lambs, with added Lima/Stockholm syndrome between two guys, it may be your thing.
> 
> I think I'm going to make the discussion of media a thing in my ending notes from now on. I'll recommend a film/show/anime each chapter, feel free to recommend some to me- especially if there's a female lead!

**Author's Note:**

> I already know where I'm going with this story, hopefully I'll be writing in chronological order though, as I have tendencies to write chapters ahead. At least I know the direction of this story, so that should help in terms of difficulty, not to mention- holidays!!-so I have plenty of time now. Probably to do nothing in all honesty.  
> Anyways, who else is desperate for the 20th of Jan? It's because I'm so obsessed (and just rewatched Voltron for the 100th time) that I'm writing this fic.  
> Also (I'm so sorry for all this babble), who watches Yuri On Ice? I thought Free was the gayest gay that could ever gay. I was wrong. I've been laughing like a madwoman through the episodes. I mean, "the eros of the pork cutlet bowl" how am I supposed to keep a straight face? Sport animes always take it so seriously, it's actually hilarious. Maybe I should write a fluffy fic on that when we get into the dark chapters of this story.


End file.
